Rise of the Darkness

Past and Future

Jheecu

Two Weeks Later

I was not in the area when Shagawzon was founded long ago, but I came here not long after. A shield clan, one where a dragon can live in dragon form and not have to use an invisibility spell. Harogbas helped, though, and invited me to stay for a time.

Back then, the dragons here wanted to be dragons. No hatchlings from here would be sent to live among humans. Everyone here can freely dream of a better future where dragons and Laku no longer had to hide. The best way to make this possible was to make a shield. Shield clans are very difficult to set up, yet the founders here had such a vision that even without a conjurer, without the help of numerous exceptionally talented spirit dragons, they managed to create this shield in what humans call north west Wyoming. A rare haven for dragons on this side of the world.

A few days ago, I arrived here, and things have changed in the intervening decades. Changes I do not like.

Though not as tainted by humans as my stolen brood or the rest of Kucho, many of the younglings and young adults desire to leave and explore the human parts of the world. Some have asked me how I traveled here so that one day they can make similar trips. They harbor no dislike of those that keep us in the shadows. Not even the sight of my scars and an explanation of how I got them can steer them away from the path that is ruining dragon kind.

Even the Elders here, dragons I lived with long ago when Harogbas shared his visions, have changed their minds. Instead of thinking of ways to eliminate the need for such clans as Shagawzon, they teach others how to hide from human society. Exactly what dragons should not have to do. It makes me want to leave, forge a path far beyond the coasts, over the ocean, to my home clan, Ilugi. But there is no guarantee that the dragons there have not humanized.

The only thing keeping me here, for now, is the hope that Harogbas will return here from whatever trip he is on. No one here seems to know where he is, and the younger ones do not even know who he is. Odd, but maybe there is a reason. Maybe they do not agree with him, with his ideas. I snort. I can play along. They do not yet know about my son who is a conjurer.

I stretch my wings, thinking of taking flight for the afternoon. Or maybe hunt, but at my age food lasts longer than it once did. My stomach does not feel empty. I look south towards the mountain peak, then north towards the bottom of the valley.

Humans call the mountain overshadowing us Trident Plateau. Dragons call it Shagawlei. The clan lies in the northern slopes, around a green valley. I stand near the bottom of the slope, near where the younger dragons live. Dragons too young to pester me. Already several young males, and even a few females, have asked me to test their prowess, recognizing my strength and wanting to build their own strength. One actually wanted to mate, but I told him my body is past mature despite not quite being a century old. He listened, at least, and left me alone. Just as true as my not wanting to nest again after my brood was stolen, but also is much easier to explain.

High up in a protrusion from the mountain is the cave where the three Elders reside. Around both sides lies the clan. The three look out over us, keeping an eye on things. Though like the Elders of Kucho, they hardly deserve the title. I turn away from them.

Many trees dot the slope here, so I move towards a large clearing ahead. Invisible to any eyes not within the shield dome, many paths and caves, stabilized by magic, exist all around. Spread out, the size of this clan far surpasses that of Kucho, helping to give everyone some space. If the mindsets of the dragons here mirrored that of the dragons that founded Shagawzon, I would be happy to stay here.

I remember the day I left here, Harogbas said he had to meet with a group of dragons living as humans in the city of Miami. He invited me to Kucho where some dragons sympathetic to his cause resided, but never allowed me to his meeting with those from Miami. I did not mind this, as I am more of a dragon of action, not plotting, but accepted his offer to go to Kucho.